Golf club guiding device



Aug. 29, 1950 J. A. PLUNKETT ETAL GOLF CLUB GUIDING DEVICE Filed Sept. 3, 1948 INVENTORS Jo/m A. Hun/fez; and

Eugene fi. 00/150 Patented Aug. 29, 1950 GOLF CLUB GUIDING DEVICE John A. Plunkett and Eugene R. Dorso, Niagara Falls, N. Y.

Application September 3, 1948, Serial No. 47,652

(01. eve-c) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to game apparatus and more particularly to a device for assisting one in the proper execution of golf strokes.

In the prior art there have been proposed a wide variety of mechanical appliances for guiding the head of a golf club in a desired path of movement for a golf swing. None of these prior proposals has met with public acceptance, for various reasons, including the fact that in these prior proposals the mechanical guiding means afiect the balance and feel of the club to such an. extent as to destroy the beneficial training which is the primary object of devices of this general class.

1 Again, devices and apparatus of this general class previously proposed have frequently introduced frict onal resistance and other extraneous forces, also with the net effect of affording to the user only a highly artificial practice stroke not truly simulating actual conditions which are encountered in executing a free and natural golfing stroke.

The. present invention provides a golf stroke gu ding. device which imposes a minimum of restraint on the user and permits him to execute an entirely natural swing during which he experiences the normal feel of the club and the various forces acting thereon under normal circumstances. Accordingly, after using the device of the present invention in practice or otherwise. a user can proceed to execute sim lar strokes without the use of the device and under substantially the same conditions which he experienced in practice with the device. -According to the present invention means are provided which guide the club in a predetermined curvil near path of movement but permit the club head to move unrestrictedly toward and away from the user as the various phases of the oke may require. This is accomplished by guiding the club shaft between spaced rails, the

rails being inward of the club head a sufiicient distance to permit the desired freedom of the club head in a radial direction relative to the arc of the swing.

The club head is preferably enclosed or housed during the major portion of its travel by means out of contact with the club head and merely for reasons of safety, so that by-standers will not be able to move into the path of the club and become injured.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of one form of the device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view but viewed more from the left as viewed in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the lower middle part of the device of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. e is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the club entrance portion of the device.

In the several figures of the drawing likecharacters of reference denote like parts and the numeralv I6 designates generally a club guide mounted upon a supporting base H. The club guide includes an upper part l2 which generally follows the curve of a correct back swing and down swing, another upper part it which follows generally a correct follow-through portion of the golf stroke, and an intermediate portion 15 which connects with the base it and guides the club through the striking portion of the stroke.

The portions l2 and 53 are in general of the form of a longitudinally slotted tube with the edges of the slot curled or beaded as indicated at I6 and H in Fig. 3 to present smooth guiding surfaces to the club shaft. The tubular portion of the guide may vary in cross-section, the

only functional limitation being that it be large enough to clear the club head at all points, so that the club is guided solely by the beaded or curled edges i6 and H which are disposed radially inwardly of the head so as to be engageable only by the shaft of the club.

The lower intermediate part [5 comprises merely spaced front and rear walls 59 and 26 which extend downwardly to base H to which they may be secured in any desired manner. The ball to be struck may thus be placed directly upon base H and to facilitate such placement and to permit the user of the device to keep his eye properly on the ball during the stroke an opening may be provided in wall is as at 22.

To permit ready introduction of the club shaft between the guiding beads l6 and il, front wall 19 has an opening 24 of sufficient size to pass club heads of various shapes and sizes and guiding bead i6 is constructed as illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. Bead i6 is cut out as t 25 sufficiently to pass the shafts of various clubs and a pair of balls 28 normally lie against each other to close the cutout 25, being held resiliently in closed position by springs 29 which are backed up by fixed seats 38 in head IS.

The user merely presses the shaft of his club, just above the head, into the cutout 25 and the balls 28 separate resiliently, closing immediately after the shaft has passed through the cutout to maintain the continuity of the guiding bead I6. Removal of a golf club from between the guiding beads I6 and I1 may be accomplished by reversing the foregoing operation or by merely moving the club head out of the end of the followthrough part I3 of the device.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the portion of base II upon which the user stands comprises a stance guide 32 and in the example shown in Fig. 3 is marked with stance positions for wood clubs, long and medium iron clubs, and short iron clubs. These positions are shown, re spectively, in full lines, dot and dash lines, and dotted lines. While the three-position system illustrated may be generally adequate, it is to be understood that more stance positions may be indicated by markings of various colors or otherwise, and, in fact, a separate stance indication for every club may be provided.

If desired, the stance chart 32 may be a removable card, mat, canvas, or similar adjunct, so that various stance charts for various purposes may be used interchangeably. In conjunction with the stance chart and the guide, a marking (not shown) will be provided on base I I beneath the ball indicated at 34 in Fig. 3, to corelate the stance, the ball position, and the arc of swing.

It will be noted that an opening of considerable vertical extent is shown at 35 in Fig. 1, beginning at base I I and extending upwardly along the outside of the guide. This permits actual hitting of balls with all types of clubs, including sharply lofted irons, and permits free egress of balls so struck regardless of their trajectory. To this end also the guidin beads I6 and I1, at their lower portions, are spaced sufficicntlv above base I I and the head of the club to permit the ball to travel freely upwardl at the very beginning of its flight, even with sharply lofted irons.

What is claimed is:

1. In a golf club guiding device, a generally tubular element extending in the curvilinear path described by a golf club head during a correct full swing, a longitudinal slot in said tubular element for engaging and guiding the club shaft at opposite sides of the shaft during a swing, said tubular element being of sufficient cross-sectional extent to entirely clear the club head during the full swing, whereby the club is guided entirely by the longitudinal slot in which the club shaft moves and the club is free to move in the slot in a direction lengthwise of the club, said tubular element having a forwardly directed opening in its outer surface extending substantially from the base of the device to a height suflicient to permit balls to emerge therefrom at all usual trajectories upon being struck.

2. In a golf club guiding device, a generally tubular element extending in the curvilinear path described by a golf club head during a correct full swing, a longitudinal slot in said tubular element for engaging and guiding the club shaft at opposite sides of the shaft during a swing, said tubular element being of sufiicient cross-sectional extent to entirely clear the club head during the full swing, whereby the club is guided entirely by the longitudinal slot in which the club shaft moves and the club is free to move in the slot in a direction lengthwise of the club, a supporting base, the walls of said tubular element flaring downwardly at the lower portion thereof and merging with said base to permit a ball to be placed on said base within said tubular element to be struck by a guided club, the said tubular element having a forwardly directed opening at its lower portion to permit egress of a golf ball.

3. In a golf club guiding device, a generally tubular element extending in the curvilinear path described by a golf club head during a correct full swing, a longitudinal slot in said tubular element for engaging and guiding the club shaft at opposite sides of the shaft during a swing, said tubular element being of suflicient cross-sectional extent to entirely clear the club head during the full swing, whereby the club is guided entirely by the longitudinal slot in which the club shaft moves and the club is free to move in the slot in a direction lengthwise of the club, a supporting base, the walls of said tubular element flaring downwardly at the lower portion thereof and merging with said base to permit a ball to be placed on said base within said tubular element to be struck by a guided club, said tubular element having a forwardly directed opening in its outer surface extending substantially from the base of the device to a height suihcient to permit balls to emer e t erefrom at all usual trajectories upon being struck.

4. In a golf club guiding device, a pair of guide rail elements extending generally in the curved path described by the lower shaft portion of a. golf club during a swing, one of said guide rail elements extending along one side of said curved path to limit deviation of the club shaft toward such side, the other of said guide rail elements extending along the other side of said curved path to limit deviation of the club shaft toward such other side,the effective width of the space between said guide rail elements being at right angles to the line of extent of the club shaft throughout, and supporting means for said rails disposed entirely without the path of the club head whereby the shaft is entirely free to move in a direction lengthwise of the shaft, a transverse opening in one of said rails adjacent the lower portion thereof to permit a club shaft to be moved between the rails, and resiliently yieldable meant normally closing said opening.

JOHN A. PLUN'KE'IT. EUGENE RENE DORBO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,399,761 Garland Dec. 13, 1921 1,545,648 Fletcher July 14, 1925 1,567,530 Macnaughton et a1. Dec. 29, 1925 1,604,118 Glancey Oct. 26, 1926 1,944,942 MacDonald Jan. 30, 1934 1,960,787 MacStocker May 29, 1934 

